In the artificial insemination of poultry, such as turkeys, for example, there may be employed very fine, hollow, cylinders which are loaded with a precise amount of semen and a separate straw is then employed for each female fowl in order to ensure application of the desired amount of semen in each artificial insemination operation. These fine, hollow cylinders are termed "straws" and reference is made to U.S. Pat. No. 3,774,578 for "Poultry Insemination Apparatus" containing description of apparatus for the utilization of such straws. Reference is also made to U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 384,937 for "Straw Charging and Feeding Apparatus," wherein the present invention, A. G. Horsting, is a co-inventor, describing and illustrating apparatus for the loading of fine, hollow cylinders or straws with poultry semen.
The utilization of a separate sterile straw for each artificial insemination operation is highly advantageous in preventing infection or the spread of disease in poultry being operated upon. However, it will be realized that commercial artifical poultry insemination is a very large scale operation involving hundreds of thousands and even millions of fowl. The insemination straws may be formed of a variety of materials such as glass or plastic; however, with even the most inexpensive materials, the very large volume of straws required poses a problem of cost and also supply. Reuse of these straws requires an extremely thorough cleaning disinfecting and again the large number thereof involved necessitates some type of automated process for the efficienct and inexpensive handling thereof.